Interestingly, had the average Union citizen been asked the same question in the spring of 1863, there can be no doubt but that Lincoln would have fared poorly. In other words, the judgment of historians and the public tells us that Abraham Lincoln was the nation's greatest President by every measure applied. It is the general opinion of pollsters, moreover, that the average American would probably put Lincoln at the top as well. Washington, close behind, ranked third because of his lesser political skills. Roosevelt fell into second place because he did not measure up to Lincoln in character. None of these other Presidents exceeded Lincoln in any category according to the rate scale. He was followed by Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, and Harry Truman. At the top of the list stood Abraham Lincoln. In 1982, forty-nine historians and political scientists were asked by the Chicago Tribune to rate all the Presidents through Jimmy Carter in five categories: leadership qualities, accomplishments/crisis management, political skills, appointments, and character/integrity.
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